


That Simple Life

by kiimigi



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kai and Tucker don't know that Wash was a freelancer, M/M, Nightmares, Other, PTSD, Tucker being a good dad, domestic AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:35:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27669644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiimigi/pseuds/kiimigi
Summary: Who knew when Wash finally relented going on a date with Kai and Tucker it would all lead to this.When she and Tucker had made their master plan to go out with Wash, she knew exactly it would lead to thisTucked in the shadow of an alleyway, a car sat watching a man run through the rain and the gentle glow of an apartment window.
Relationships: Kaikaina Grif | Sister/Agent Washington, Kaikaina Grif | Sister/Lavernius Tucker, Kaikaina Grif | Sister/Lavernius Tucker/Agent Washington, Lavernius Tucker/Agent Washington
Comments: 3
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically going to be 90% fluff and 10% plot.

Tucked in the shadow of an alleyway, a car sat watching a man run through the rain and the gentle glow of an apartment window. 

* * *

By the time Wash gets back home he's completely soaked. He is a little out of breath on the elevator ride up from running the entire way. A puddle of water had formed around his feet outside their door and he's pretty sure there's got to be a trail of water all the way up to the apartment.

"Did you run all the way here in the rain?" Kai says opening the door

"Didn't have much of a choice" Wash says, shaking the water off himself "A car splashed me too. Because cars hate me."

"Hey" Tucker calls from the kitchen

"Hey" Wash calls back. 

Junior has his coloring stuff spread out across the kitchen table and honks at Wash when comes in but cautiously covers his drawing as when Wash walks by.

“What's that about?” Wash asks Tucker.

“It’s a surprise.” Tucker says. "Now go change. Your dripping all over my damn floor" Tucker waves him off with the knife and nudging him in the shin with his foot.

Wash obeys. The warm water chases away the rest of the cold and stays under the warm spray of water before reluctantly stepping out and getting dressed into a hoodie that he left behind the last time and one of Tucker's sweatpants that kind of fits him. 

After Wash’s shower they all gather around the table. Junior had cleared his stuff, his feet kicking under the table and drinking from both hands. Tucker gives Junior his bacon and steals Wash’s. Kai steals Tucker's coffee, nose wrinkling somehow surprised that it's not how she likes it 

"What do you expect?" Tucker says

"For you to suddenly have good taste in coffee" Kai says and sticks out her tongue. 

Junior had been working on a drawing all evening. He even showed Kai before he let's Wash see a glimpse. Anytime Wash got close, he would shield it from him, Kai even helps him, draping over the piece of paper bodily and snickering at Wash passes. Wash had snuck up behind him and Junior honked loudly as he jumped and folded bodily over his drawing to block his view.

Later in the evening, after the fifth time Wash of trying to see Wash finally let Junior draw in peace and settles down on the couch.

It was only when Tucker starts shooing Junior to bed did Junior jumped down from his seat and rush to Wash and honk at him earnestly as he held out the paper he had been hiding.

"For you" Junior says in Sangheili. Wash isn’t fluent in Sangheili by any means but picked up a word or two here and there listening to Tucker and Junior talk.

Wash accepts the drawing with both hands. 

It’s a picture of all four of them holding hands, surrounded by flowers and pancakes and balloons with a messily written date and time at the top. 

It’s an invitation to his birthday party. 

“Yeah, I’ll be there. I wouldn’t miss it” He says as he crouches down and hugs Junior. 

He wonders he had gotten so lucky. 

Who knew when he finally relented going on a date with them it would all lead to this. 

* * *

When she and Tucker had made their master plan to go out with Wash, she knew exactly it would lead to this.

Well not exactly. 

She had known Tucker longer than she had known Wash. They had been a thing before she had even met Wash. 

But then one day Tucker had come back from a gym with the declaration that he was totally going to fuck the new trainer. Kai joined him the next time he went and came to a similar declaration of hell yeah we are!

One thing led to the next and a small bride and some caught feelings later the rest is history

It wasn't supposed to be anything more than that. Wash was hot and it something fun to do when she was bored.

Wash surprised them. 

It had taken her surprised just how easy clicked they together when wash wasn't digging his heels in. The blush and the freckles and he was amazing with Junior. Plus he was secretly dork buried under all the other junk. 

Apparently, Wash also fought in the Great War or something. That's where all his scars are from. But Wash didn’t like talking about it. Like at all.

One night Tucker had gotten drunk, really drunk and started ranting about Freelancers and how he was upset all the Freelancers were dead so he couldn't do it himself for ruining his life.

"You were sim troopers?"

"Yup, that's how we met" Kai says almost equally drunk sprawled across Tucker. Didn't Wash know? She thought she told him? But never mind he knows now. Kai fills him in on all the good goss about Blood Gulch. 

Wash had gotten his weird sad look on his face that made Kai rest her head on his shoulder

"I'm sorry" Wash mumbles

"We're alright. It wasn't that bad"

* * *

Kai was working from home that day and had sprawled out on the couch with her laptop on her lap. There is a knock on the door and she jumps up from the couch half starved already.

"You’re not pizza?" When she opens the door and sees a chick at the door with no pizza in hand. Although, the chick is really cute with short brown hair so she's not complaining

"No, I’m not sorry about that." the chick says, a smirk grows on her lip and there's flip in her voice and Kai loves her "Is David home?"

“Who the heck is David?” Kai says leaning against the doorframe. Nobody called David could be any fun, sounded like somebody who sold bibles or worked at a desk. 

There’s a beat before the chick just smiles again “Yeah, sorry about that.”

She's turning to leave before Kai can even respond so Kai just sticks her head into the corridor and shout after her.

"Good luck with your man!"

Then she’s gone. 

By the time pizza actually came she had almost completely forgotten the incident. It randomly popped back into her mind again as they were stretched out on the couch with Kai leaning against Tucker's chest, Junior already in bed.

“Some chick came round today” she says

“Was it one of the neighbors?” Tucker says

“Nah, it was some chick I’ve never seen before. She just had the wrong apartment” She says “She was like super short and really cute.”

She feels Wash go rigid beside her and she tilts her head back to look at him. His eyebrowed had furrows in the way that they do when he’s worrying.

“Did she say anything else?” Wash says with sudden interest.

“Not much, she was looking for some dude called David” she says with a shrug

“oh”

"Where are you going?" Tucker says as Wash pushes his legs from his lap and gets up.

"Nowhere. Just going to the toilet” Wash says even as he reaches for his phone


	2. Chapter 2

The one good thing that Project Freelancer had done for them was keep them off the front lines. Though they were technically UNSC they hadn't done much real fighting. They had gotten off pretty lightly all things considered. Most of the time they were bored and she and Tucker were finding a secluded corner of the canyon.

But Wash had been the real deal, he been on the front lines. He had been thrown out of the army for knocking out a CO because of some suicide mission or something.

Wash is curled up napping on the couch one day already asleep when she gets back. Tucker shoos her away when Kai goes to kiss him awake. She just rolls her eyes and went to kiss Tucker instead. 

They don't get much further than that when Junior comes rushing in blarging up a storm, pulling at Tucker's shirt until he gets up and follows him out to the living room. 

Kai drenches cold. On the couch, where Wash had been sleeping peacefully not so long ago, now Wash is curled up into a tight ball. His eyes are squeezed shut as he lets out miserable little whimpering sounds as he hands rip at his neck. 

Wash screams and her heart stops. 

“Wash!” she's by his side in a second. She goes to shake him awake but the second she touches him his eyes shoot open. She fell back on her butt, her nose bleeding from where Wash had punched her.

Everything goes to crap after that. 

Tucker pushes Kai and Junior back into his room behind him because nobody is going to touch Kai or his fucking kid. Junior is crying confused because everybody is shouting and Kai is bleeding and Wash’s hands fist in his hair, his breath heaving.

Wash is gone before Kai could stop him. He slams the door behind him with his shoes still half on. 

When Kai looks out of the window, she sees the small figure of Wash still pulling his jacket on. He hadn't slowed down his pace at all. She wants to go after him, but the neighbor that had been pounding on the wall is now banging down the door. She had to go deal with that while Tucker tries to calm Junior down. She fucking hates the look the guy gives her when he sees the blood dripping down her nose and asked if she needed to call the cops because no its not like that! Wash didn't mean too! Wash had been... _scared_

Finally everything calmed down again and Tucker finally gets Junior to sleep, he lays crammed on Junior's tiny bed with Junior tucked under her arm. 

Once Junior is asleep, Kai helps him ease out from under Junior and she whips them up a quick dinner. 

Tucker comes up and checks on her, cupping her face and looking over her for any injuries.

“I'm _fine._ ” Kai says holding his hand and pulling them to their own bed. Kai feels exhausted, they both did. They feel the extra space in the bed like a pit in her stomach. She had no idea he had nightmares that bad. She knew Tucker hates sleeping alone because of his time in the military and she hated when people left.

“Do you think he'll be alright.” Kai says curling in closer to Tucker “He’ll be back right?”

“Yeah, K” Tucker says, pulling her closer. 

* * *

"Hey! I know you're in there!" Kai shouts making her voice loud and screechy as she throws the stone at Wash's window two storeys up. 

She admits it. This may not be her finest moment. But it was not anywhere she hasn't been before. And it was Wash's fault. She _had_ tried knock first and he hadn't opened up and she _knows_ he's in there. 

Besides both him and Tucker are stupid and won't ever take the first step in solving a problem with feelings involved.

She looks around for something else to throw when his window opens and his head pops open and she nearly throws a can into his face accidently. 

"Kai, what are you doing?" Wash shouts half desperate and half exasperated. 

"You going to finally going to open up?" Kai shouts "my arm's getting tired!"

Wash looks around nervously before sighs, relenting "Come on up"

Wash's flat was in a run down building with an elevator that smelt. Kai knocks on the front door and soon enough she hears movement from inside, Wash must be looking through the peek hole deciding if he's going to open the door after and she's about to start shouting when Wash cracks the door open. 

Wash looked terrible. He’s wearing a grey shirt and sweatpants. There are dark circles under his eyes like he hasn't been sleeping and Kai wants to fix his hair where it's all messed up. 

“Hey” Kai says

“Hi” Wash says

“You going to let me in or just keep staring?” 

Wash takes a step back and lets her in.

The apartment only had one bare one room. It's too much like barracks and she feels kind of guilty about leaving Wash here. Wash had given them his spare keys so they could come around anytime they wanted. But most of the time they just end up at Tucker and her place. She can now see why.

“What are you going here, Kai?” He even sounds tired

“You know I'm pissed at you, right?” Kai says

“I’m sorry” and he sounds like he means it

“That doesn't mean you get to ghost me” Kai says crossing her arms “I was worried. Why didn't you come back?”

“I didn’t know if you wanted me to” Kai closes the space between them now and hugs him. Wash hugs her tighter, tucking her under his chin in a way that Tucker can't.

“I'm sorry I hurt you”

“It's nothing some ice couldn't fix." Kai says “but I wish you had warned us. It was scary.”

“I haven't had one that bad in a while”

“I get it." Kai says "Like when I got back I thought I was fine but the first time back in a club I had to call Tucker to pick me up and Tucker can't really sleep alone and he gets pissy sometimes.”

A cat meows as it rubs against her leg. She smiles up at Wash who was blushing before she bent down to scoop the fat cat up. She rubs against Kai's neck, begging for food as if Wash had been neglecting her. 

“Tucker is waiting in the car by the way” Kai says 

"Of course he is" and finally smiles a little

* * *

They all drape over bed with a bottle precautiously resting on her knee as she just soaking the presence up of the other. None of them are all the way drunk yet but the alcohol is making her feel fuzzy and sleepy. She had danced with Tucker in Wash’s tiny living room and somehow had gotten Wash to join them as well. It's the cute slow dance kind although she or Tucker would lap dance the fuck out of Wash at a drop of the hat if Wash let them.

“You come here often, baby?” Tucker says at Wash and Wash just rolls his eyes before Tucker kisses him

Tucker makes grabby hands for the bottle but it's already empty. She sees Wash about to get up but she beats him to it

“I got it” she says as she hops up. Wash and Tucker are nicely tangled up with each other and they deserve it and they need to make up.

“It's in the bottom shelf.” He calls after her before she turns back to see them kissing again. Hot. 

She didn't mean to snoop. It's just she's really good at stuff like that and _okay_ she's nosy. To be fair it wasn't that well hidden anyways. 

His cat slinks around her feet again and she needs to step over her. Kai watches as the cat slinks behind the cabinet and disappears into the wall. _Weird_.

Taking a peek, it turns out there's a small space cut into a wall, it's tucked away between the stove and washing machine but it's big enough and cat curled up in it. 

The cat is currently make a bed out of power armor. 

Its grey and yellow and she's pretty sure that he shouldn't have it. Wash had fought in the Great Wall but she's pretty sure they took it away when you get out. Like it's it like super duper illegal if you keep it.

“Everything alright in there?’ Wash calls after there. She fumbles the bottle and nearly smashes it.

“Yeah” She shouts back. Her boys are where she left them “I was looking if you had anything other than the syrup you call alcohol”

Wash smiles back at her like somebody who doesn't hide illegal power armor in their wall.


	3. Chapter 3

"Honk" Junior honks loudly as he bounces onto the bed. Tucker sleepily bats him away as he clambering all over them, trying to shake them awake.

Tucker is finally shocked awake with an oof junor knee sinks into his gut. When did the kid get so heavy.

"5 more minutes" Kai groans beside him and abandons him as she turns away tucking herself stubbornly under Wash’s chin trying to hold onto the last edges of sleep. Wash doesn't seem affected at all. He sleeps like he won't ever see sleep again. 

Junior giggles as Tucker pulles the kid down and wraps him a hug and he blargs "Y _ou have to get up. It's my birthday”_

"Was that today? Thought it was last year?" Tucker says. 

" _Father_!" 

He holds Junior in place while Junior wiggles and giggles trying to free himself. Junior finally wiggles himself free and bounces Tucker.

"I'm up, I'm up" he says finally dragging himself up

“Happy birthday, kid” he says as he follows Junior into the kitchen to make birthday pancakes.

* * *

The party went really well.

Of course it did, Kai helped to organised everything and organising events is like literally her job.

Tucker and Wash had spent the morning in the kitchen cooking up a feast. Kai had been banned from cooking and sat on the counter watching them instead. 

Wash didn’t know how to cook either but for some reason he knew how to use a knife really well-like really well- and he got the onions into tiny peices. Tucker had to admit it was vaguely sexy the way he knew how to handle a knife. 

Kai’s mind wonders back to the power armour. She wonders if she should tell Wash about it. She wonders if he would be mad. She wonders If she should tell Tucker. But there had to be a good reason he had been hiding it, right? But anyways it was Junior's birthday and she's not about to start shit and ruin the party. So she pushes it out of her mind for now. She'll figure it out later. 

She hops down from the counter to make sure Junior is not trying to sneak a peek into the presents and to go blow up some balloons and make sure the beer is chilled. 

They all decided that they preferred a small gathering. It's just the four of them and Caboose, Grif, Simmons and Sarge. A couple of the Sanghelli from the embassy also agreed to come which was really cool. 

There's a knock on the door and Tucker wipes his hands off on a kitchen towel before he goes to open the door. It's kind of funny that the Sanghelli have to duck down to get through the door. He wonders if Junior is going to be that big one day or will his human side keep him smaller.

Tucker wondered if inviting the Sanghelli was going to be a problem with Wash having fought in the Great War and all that.

He seemed fine with Junior but then again Junior is pretty awesome how could Wash not love him. But whatever he might has against them he’ll just have to get over it. 

It turns out there's no problem at all as Wash brought out the platters and offers them drinks. 

They all talk and eat and it's pretty much a chill great time.

This is the first time Grif had officially met Wash and it's hilarious to watch Grif give the same threatening he gave Tucker about kai. 

Tucker and Junior are talking up a storm with the Sanghelli and Kai comes up and rests her chin on his shoulder and pesters them with questions and butchers all their names before she gets bored and goes off to screech at Grif for trying to steal the cake.

Finally, they all gather around the table and they sing happy birthday and blow out the candles. Junior eats messily and Tucker has to wipe his face down from where he's got cake all over himself. 

The Sanghelli do some birthday tradition that leaves Junior glowing before they have leave to do some official business.

Next is gifts. They all gather on the couch, Kai sits on the floor between Grif's and Wash's legs. Junior sits on Tucker's lap.

Grif and Simmons had gotten a joint gift. Wash had wound himself up about what present to buy even though both Kai and Tucker told him it wasn't a big deal. It's not like they were going to hate him if didn't get anything but its sweet that he cared so much. In the end they all pooled for a giant present and Junior jumps up to give them a giant hug.

By the end of the day junior is all tuckered out and Tucker carefully carries him to bed. Kai is flopped down on the couch and Kai pulls his head down when he comes back. And he shifts to get a better angle and get this really going.

"Oh no you don't" Wash says with his arms folded "We need to clean up."

Both Tucker and Kai groan and boo.

"Only if you order me" Tucker says pocking his tounge into his cheek. 

* * *

Kai had made a official decree that it was officially date night so get your butts off the couch. 

They leave Junior with Donut and Doc who are the only ones Tucker really trusts not to try and feed Junior something weird and actually get him to bed on time. Junior also seems to enjoy them the most because Donut always takes him to the park or playground.

They all get dressed up, well Kai and Tucker do. Kai bounces into a tiny dress and pulls her hair up and Tucker pulls on trousers that make his butt look great.

Wash rolls off the couch and pulls on his hoodie as if that's going to cut it. Not in Kai's book. She bullys him into wearing one of Tucker's shirts which means it's at least one size too small and actually shows off all his muscles. Why else did he waste all that time working out if not to flaut them. 

In conclusion, they all look hot. 

The last date night they had, after only a small amount of teasing from them, Wash had plucked up the courage to bring them all to a cat cafe that had just opened.

It was cute and all but Kai has something different in mind.

They haven't gone dancing in a long time so Kai drags them all out to her favourite club. 

And boy do they dance. 

It takes some coaxing for Wash to join them but he does join in the end. How could he resist? He had already been squirming on the side lines as she and Tucker put on a _Show_ for him. She’s sure they look hot as fuck.

Wash sticks close to her for most of the night, ever since she told him about that one time and it's adorable. 

Wash and Tucker go to fetch her a drink and she sees eyes follow him cause damn right her men can pull people. 

All too soon that time of night comes when people are sufficiently drunk for them to try and shoot their shot. She rolls her eyes as a guy stumbles up to her while waiting for Tucker and Wash to come back. 

And okay fine she has built up a sort of reputation.

“You wanna go somewhere else?” The guy says taking one step too much into her space.

“You can fuck off” she says tossing her hair. Maybe she would have considered if wasn't so much of a dick about it and if she wasn’t already here with Wash and Tucker. This was just the beginning of the plans she had for them tonight okay. 

The dude is about to open his mouth again but Tucker and Wash come back and he takes one look at them before disappearing into the crowd.

“You alright?” Wash says

“Yeah” Kai smiles. 

They go hard. Well she does, she drinks more than she usually would and keeps trying to push drinks in Wash’s direction. Wash takes them after she whines and complains of "It's my date nighttt. I'm not going to let you ruin it"

Tucker catches on before Wash does. 

“Why you trying to get Wash drunk?” Tucker says looping his arms around her. She pouts because maybe it was a little bit of a shitty thing to do. 

“He’s being stupid thats why” Kai says rocking in Tucker’s arms “and he gets chatty when hes drunk and I need to tell meee”

“Tell you what?”

“I can't tell youuu” she says dissolving into a fit of giggles getting a little handsy with Tucker who just rolls his eyes. 

"Fine don't tell me" and Kai shuts him up with a kiss. 

They walk (stumble) their way through the park. All of them are at least a little bit tipsy and warm. 

Tucker and Kai dance together as they walk while Wash holds her shoes for her. 

She takes her eyes off Tucker for a second and he lets out an undignified yelp as he trips over nothing and goes face first into a bush. 

Or he would have if Wash hadn’t caught him. 

“You have some crazy reflexes, my dude” Tucker says, blinking

"I was right next to you?"

Kai's drunk but not that drunk. Wash was like nowhere near her but then he’s right by side in a blink of am eye.

They find they’re way home eventually. With Junior out of the house, they stumble to the room and fall into bed already half out of their clothes and kicking off shoes and going for belts and Kai find of regrets wearing such a tight dress as Tucker growling something in sangheili into her ear


	4. Chapter 4

Tucker knows something is wrong when he feels an empty spot in the bed. 

In the dark, Tucker feels around and yup Wash is gone. 

He sits up and squints in the dark and Wash isn’t as gone as he thought. At first he thinks it's another nightmare but Wash is standing stone still, staring at the door.

"What you doing up-" Wash immediately shushes him which only makes him want to say it louder. “What the fuck, dude”

“There’s someone in the house” Wash says so softly he nearly didn’t hear. Then Wash's words click and Tucker scrambles out of bed because Junior!

But Wash catches his wrist and stops him. Tucker tries to wretch it out of his hand but Wash's grip is like a vice. 

“Junior is fine. They hadn't gotten to his room yet.” Wash has a weird look in his eyes. Something stoney and cold and it stills Tucker with his mouth open

Wash crouches down and shakes Kai awake. He puts a hand over her mouth as she wakes up. Kai frowns. Wash pulls his hand away and Tucker is pretty sure kai had just licked his hand.

There is a creak outside and by the look on her face Kai heard it too.

"I want you two to stay here" He whispers but hell no that's his kid not just going to sit here. But something in that stone cold look in Wash's eyes doesn't let him object.

"Stay here until I tell you to come out. Lock the door after me."

Tucker nods stiffly

* * *

Wash slips out of the room, the door shuts behind him without a sound. There’s no light in the apartment but his eyes had just about adjusted to the dark. He hadn’t thought they would attack yet, not this directly. But he should have expected it after Connie came knocking on their door. It had been a warning. This was the worst place. The apartment was too small with nowhere to move or fight with Tucker and Kai in the crossfire. 

He snuck into the kitchen, knowing where all the squeaky boards were. Still crouched down he leant against the kitchen cabinets and reached above him and slid the drawer open to fish out two kitchen knives before closing it with only the smallest clink. 

He peers around the corner but can't see anybody else. Junior’s door is still closed. Good.

He sees a shadow moving slowly creeping around pistol in hand. The man is in Kevlar at least and not power armor. Still, Wash is only in thin pajamas armed with kitchen knives. 

He appears behind the guy and slices the guy's throat below his helmet. 

Another guy appears around the corner behind him, he whips around and grips the knife by the point and throws it lodging into the guy's shoulder. 

Wash whips around when he heard a cry from Junior. 

It's less than elegant but the guy behind him charges him and tackles him straight through Junior’s door and slams him to the ground. 

Wash's remaining knife skidded away across the floor. He slams his fist into the guy's cheek and twists trying to grab the guy's pistol in its holster. But the guy is on top of him, and pins his wrist with a knee. 

Junior is crying loudly now, too scared to get close. 

Wash grits his teeth and heaves and leverages the guy off him, and they roll. The guy pulls out a gun. Wash dives for his knife. 

There's the smell of o-zone followed by a flare of light. the guy falls to the ground with Tucker standing there illuminated in the glow of his energy sword. 

"What the fuck!" Tucker shouts even as Junior runs into his arms and he scoops him up.

"I told you to stay put," Wash says, picking up his knives before going to pick up the guy's gun again as well, checking the magazine. 

"What the fucks going on, Wash!" Tucker snaps. He can tell that Tucker is scared which is making him pissed. "Why are there dead dudes in the apartment!"

* * *

After Wash left and he had locked the door behind him, Tucker felt sick to the gut. There is a long stretch of silence as he strains to hear anything with Kai clutching at his arm behind him and wound tight expecting somebody to come through the door. He jumps at the sounds of a muffled commotion then Junior is crying and fuck this. The next thing he knows Wash has one of his knives bloodied up in his hand.

"Keep Junior in his room," Wash says standing. He's already on his phone, pressing it to his ear as he talks to him and Tucker wants to slap it out of his hand. The only reason he doesn't is because he doesn't want to drop Junior who is holding onto him for dear life burying his face in his neck.

"Yeah…. How quick can get here….okay Thanks." Wash says over the phone. He sounds like he's making lunch plans. How is he this calm!

He has so much explaining to do. 

"Why are people trying to kill you?" Tucker snaps

"Can we save this for later. There could be more people coming" There isn't any panic in his voice, not even a lick of irritation. Only a calm collected business tone that grates at tucker. 

"You answer me right now, Washington" 

Wash looking them up and down before sighing "They’re not here for me. They’re here for Junior."

"What the hell" Junior holds onto Junior even tighter.

"I promise I will explain later. Just let me get you somewhere safe first"

"I'm not going anywhere with you till you explain what's going on"

"Tucker" he sighs like he's overreacting

"Hey!" Kai snaps at them and Tucker jumps. There's some chick in brown power armor standing behind kai. Wash doesn’t look worried. 

"That’s for coming, Connie" 

* * *

"What is this?" Tucker feels like he was just repeating himself at this point. To be fair none of his questions were being answered.

"Welcome to the safe house" the chick-Connie says. 

It didn’t look like a safe house besides the fact that all the curtains were drawn in the middle of the day. It looked nice, with a sofa and tv and rug, and even pictures on the wall and what looked like a well stocked kitchen. 

Tucker wonders why Wash stayed at that dump he lived in if he could just stay here. Had that flat just been a stage. Had his _cat_ been fake? He hated that he didn't know so much about Wash. 

There’s another guy in the apartment. He’s really mean looking with a shaved head and he’s huge. Which would be hilarious in any other situation compared to the tiny chick. 

"It’ll be best if you stay here for the next couple of days until we find who's behind this" It’s suddenly 'we' and 'you' and not 'us' and Tucker hates it. 

"I'm walking out of that door if you don't explain what's going on this second, Wash. You know I will!" Tucker snaps, refusing to budge one step further into the safe house "Why are people coming after my kid"

"Because he’s special"

"Yeah I know that" He’s his kid after all, Junior is fucking awesome.

“More than you know. " Wash says "but you don't have to worry we’re going to fix this"

"Who’s _we_?"

"Oh right" Wash says in that shy way that he does sometimes "This is Connie and Maine"

“It’s CT when we’re working, Wash”

His first thought is those are some weird ass names but they all kind of weird ass names so he’s not one to talk. Then his second thought feels more like a revelation and he chokes on it and he suddenly feels not so safe anymore.

They’re named after states. He's had enough trouble in the past that he knows what that means.

"They're Freelancers. How the fuck do you know Freelancers?" It clicks in his mind even as the words are tumbling out of his mouth. He can see it in the sheepish look Wash gives him.

"You're a Freelancer" He drags his hands through his hair as he goes cold "Wash isn’t your real name.”

“No”

“Wash as in Agent Washington”

“Yes”

The other two must notice the tension because when Wash glances at them and CT just rolls her eyes and pulls Maine out of the apartment. It’s just the three of them now. Him, Kai and Junior. Wash feels like a different person now.

Tucker has no idea how to feel. But damn he feels like an idiot for not realizing it sooner. 

"I haven’t been called that in years. I haven’t been a Freelancer in years. I’m retired "

"Then explain all this" He gestures to everything "I think you may be going about retirement the wrong way, dude"

"Why did you keep your armor?" Kai says. She doesn't seem surprised. 

"Just in case I needed it again.”

“Is your real name David?”

He laughs at that and it's so damn familiar

“Now that's a name I haven't been called in years” He says rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Do you want us to call you David?” Kai says. Wash looks surprised by that before he shook his head.

“I prefer Wash. I don’t feel like David anymore”

“Is all this” Tucker says gesturing between them “Is all this just apart of some job” 

“What, no!” Wash says 

“Of course it isn't” Kai says “He wouldn't have made us work so damn hard if it was”

“It was only after” Wash says “After you told me you were Sim Troopers, I was actually going to breakup up with you, because of what Freelancer has done to you in the past but I looked into your files. Connie had told me a bounty had been put out for Junior and I knew I needed to keep close to make sure your safe”

“You looked into our files? You can do that?” Kai says

"What else don’t I know" He doesn’t like that Wash had to think a long time about it?

"I had cameras and alarms set up all around the house"

"That’s kinda hot" Kai says and it's so her that Wash can't help but smile. 

"You should rest. It's been a long day"

The exhaustion is starting to catch up with them. Kai yawns and Tucker is pretty sure the sun is out but when Kai wants to draw the curtain back to check, Wash stops her. So melodramatic. Tucker and Kai take a hot shower and dress in Wash’s spare shirt. Kai does flops down on the bed in the room Wash says they could use. There’s only one bed. They were going to have to stay there for a couple of days so they might as well get comfortable and they sprawled out on the bed. 

Kai comes to flops down on top of him nuzzling the back on his neck and her hair tumbling onto him he rolls. 

"I’m fucking pissed"

"It’s still wash"

"Not at Wash. I’m pissed that they want to touch my fucking kid. I’m pissed at Freelancer" He thought he would be pissed at Wash but he isn't. He’s angry at Freelancer for all the scars on his face and nightmares they gave him. They screwed up his life as well. 

Junior is still all wound up so it's a bitch for him to sleep so Wash comes in later all with some coloring stuff for Junior. He draws Wash down all huddled on the bed and it's not the most comfortable but it works. He’s a little more shy than usual and he guesses that CT and Maine must tease him. He briefly thinks about maybe having safehouse sex but Too tense for that or exactly the thing he needs to relax. Besides there's only one room and Junior is there 

In the morning Tucker raids their kitchen and props his feet on the coffee table. Wash makes them coffee and toast and they watch some tv together. 

Sometime after breakfast, there's a knock on the door, Wash goes rigid but it’s only Connie. Whether they had come back in the night then left again or had not come back at all, he’s not sure, but Maine has a duffle over a shoulder and by the clunk it makes when he puts it on the table it must be pretty heavy. 

Connie brought donuts 

Wash unzips the duffle bag and Tucker peers over his shoulder with a donut in his mouth. He hadn't seen power armor in years. It's gray with yellow accents and looks more advanced than the type they gave them.

“I should have probably told you I found it, huh” Kai says

“I knew” Wash says with a smirk

“How’d you know?” She pouts draping over his shoulder

“There was a latch” Wash says “I thought someone had broken in but you were acting suspicious so I knew it was you”

“I wasn't acting _that_ suspicious”

Maine growls something has no idea but Wash seems to understand as he sighs, head dipping. He hesitated too long and Connie comes to his side and says "Wash, its time"

"Okay"

* * *

Wash is pulling on his Kevlar under suit on, pulling the zip up before reaching for the gloves. 

“You’re not going”

“What?” Wash says pausing before continuing to pull on his gloves wiggling his fingers into them. Kai stands in between him and his armor. 

“We haven't discuss if you can go out with that chick or not” Kai says folding her hands over her chest

“Kai” Wash puts hands on her arms.

“You said it yourself, you’re not a Freelancer anymore” Tucker says “your responsibility is here now. Junior has a game next weekend. He’ll be so upset if your not there”

“I’ll be there. Why do you think I’m going now” Wash says “They’ll never stop coming after him. I need to go”

“Then I’m coming with you” If Wash thinks they are just going to sit here while they go fight, he’s wrong. 

“I need you to stay here to protect Junior if anything happens”

“But nothing is going to happen” Kai says

Wash looks huge in his power armor. They are going over the plan, maps and shit spread across the table. Tucker hovers while Kai slumps over Wash’s back as he talks to the chick just so they know he doesn't belong to them anymore. When it’s time to go, Wash easily lifts her and lets her dangle a bit with her arms folded around his neck

“Kai, I need to go'' he says as he plopped her down. He reaches for helmet but she gets there first. 

“You better come back. No more running off. If you don't come back, I’m going to be so mad at you”

She needs to stand on her toes to reach but she kisses him anyways. There's a snort behind him and Wash blushes but kisses back. She needs to make sure he remembers what he's got so he comes back. 

His helmet clicks on and all she can see is her own reflection. Connie is punching him in the arm as they go. 

* * *

They should never have let him go alone and it sits like a stone in his gut. Junior is a good distraction as he blargs and honks and starts chewing on table legs as he gets restless. 

They eat what they hadn't already raided from the kitchen and the last of the donuts are half stale at this point before they bundle up together. He wished he had gone. But he also didn't want to leave Kai and Junior alone. What comes after this? Does anything really have to change?

They were dozing sitting on the floor by the couch when junior perks up and sort of hisses. The door slams open and he jumps up his hand already on his sword but it's just them stumbling into the door. They smell like sweat and ash and metal and blood. The big guy is bleeding and Tucker helps Wash get him into the apartment as Connie readies the biofoam. 

After Maine is all patched up, Kai fumbles with the latch on Wash’s helmet and it hisses as it unlatches and it clatters to the floor. He looks tired and sweaty and he has some serious helmet hair going on but she jumps up and hugs him. He hugs her right back. 

The ride home, rain buckets down, they watch Wash pack away his power armor, piece by piece with the utmost care. He's sweaty and hair matted down from the helmet. They do one last sweep of the house and Wash points all the cameras were. 

And yup still kinda hot, she has ideas for that.


End file.
